Thesis Defence: Evaluating the Seismic Resilience of a Tall-Coupled-Wall Timber Building

Madihe Khanjari, supervised by Dr. Solomon Tesfamariam, will defend their thesis titled “Evaluating the Seismic Resilience of a Tall-Coupled-Wall Timber Building” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering.

An abstract for Madihe Khanjari’s thesis is included below.

Defences are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Please email solomon.tesfamariam@ubc.ca to receive the Zoom link for this defence.

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ABSTRACT

Large earthquakes, though infrequent, are significant natural disasters, characterized by pronounced repercussions that pose immediate and significant threats to both human life and the structural integrity of the built environment. In addition to their direct consequences, earthquakes have the potential to trigger secondary hazards, such as landslides, tsunamis, and fires, contributing to a complex and intertwined web of challenges for affected communities. The aftermath of an earthquake entails long-term and far-reaching consequences, including economic losses, population displacement, and psychological trauma, necessitating years for recovery. Given the intricate and multifaceted nature of earthquake impacts, comprehending the system’s post-event condition is imperative to mitigate losses effectively. Consequently, the assessment of seismic resilience, which evaluates a structure’s capacity to endure and recover from external hazards, becomes pivotal in addressing the limitations of conventional seismic assessments.

Assessing the seismic resilience of innovative earthquake-resistant buildings, which often utilize advanced materials and technologies, is crucial for validating their performance under extreme conditions and quantifying potential reductions in overall losses during and after an earthquake. This research investigates the resilience of a novel designed 20-story timber structure equipped with the buckling restrained brace (BRB) hold-downs, balloon-type cross-laminated timber coupled-walls (CLT-CW), and coupling beams with replaceable shear links as its lateral load resisting systems. To ensure an accurate resilience evaluation, a novel framework for modeling the repair time process has been developed. This model incorporates realistic labor allocation to each repair activity, avoiding under- or over-estimation of repair durations, and efficiently accounts for resource congestion effects, leading to realistic projections for the building’s final restoration date. This research aims to pave the way for more accurate estimation of seismic resilience in buildings by enhancing the precision of repair time calculations. This, in turn, provides valuable insights into the seismic performance of improved building designs, thereby promoting a safer and more resilient built environment.